Beef Rouladen With Dill

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a dish that the Silver Fox enjoyed as a child. He had a very good mother - just ask him. She made rouladen and spaetzle for him whenever he asked, even during the searing heat of a Chicago summer. Unfortunately, he married an Irish girl who was a stranger to German cooking, and while she learned a thing or two over the years, her repertoire of German dishes was, and still is, quite limited. Rouladen was one of the first dishes she/I learned to make, and it appears on our table once or twice a year. Rarely, however, during the summer months. He, of silver mane fame, came home from the grocery store with a package of thin cut round steak and some ideas in mind. He was dreaming of rouladen, and because it is easier to make than Swiss steak, rouladen is what he got for dinner tonight. The recipe I use comes from Serious Eats and it is much easier to make than his mother's version. I can assemble these rolls in less than 30 minutes and they can table ready an hour after that, so, if you enjoy heavier food I think you will love the rolls and the ease with which they come together. The recipe is self-explanatory, so let's get right to the meat of it. Here is how this version of rouladen is made.

Beef Rouladen with Dill

Ingredients:
4 beef round steaks (about 1 1/2 pounds total), trimmed and sliced 1/4” thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons stone-ground mustard
4 slices bacon
4 green onions, trimmed
1 large carrot, peeled and cut lengthwise into six long spears
4 dill pickle spears
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup red wine

Directions:
1) Place beef steaks between two sheets of wax paper and pound with a meat mallet to tenderize. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Dividing mustard evenly between each steak, spread on the surface of one side of meat.
2) Place bacon in a skillet over medium heat and cook until fat has started to render and bacon is lightly browned, about 4 minutes, flipping once. Lay one slice of lightly browned bacon on each piece of slathered steak, followed by an onion, carrot spear, and pickle spear, all cut to length of steaks. Starting at short end, roll meat jellyroll fashion and tie with kitchen twine.
3) Over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in same skillet as bacon was cooked. When oil is shimmering, add beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until softened and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth and wine and scrape any browned bits off of bottom with wooden spoon. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until meat is tender, about 1- 1/2 hours.
4. When beef is cooked, remove from pan, discard twine and keep warm. Combine remaining 1/3 cup flour and 3/4 cup water, whisking until smooth and lump-free. Slowly stir into broth. Whisking constantly, bring to a boil, and simmer until gravy is thickened and starchiness of flour has disappeared. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour gravy into a gravy boat, straining through a fine-mesh strainer, if necessary. Transfer beef to serving platter. Serve beef with buttered noodles and gravy. Yield: 4 servings.

                    

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